A Letter to Christians From Your Baha’i Brother

To all my beloved Christian brothers and sisters, I once walked in your shoes, heart aflame with devotion to Christ Jesus. I stand before you now, not as an outsider, but as a Baha’i, one whose love for Christ has only deepened over time. 

I invite you to open the pages of Christ’s words and reflect upon their profound meanings. Though I do not seek to sway your beliefs, I urge us all to embrace the art of listening to one another.

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Throughout my soul’s journey, I have held a deep respect for those of different faiths, striving to discern the divine spark in each path. When I encountered the teachings of Baha’u’llah, the prophet and founder of the Baha’i Faith, it felt as if my innermost thoughts were finally given voice. I felt, too, that I wasn’t abandoning Jesus, because the Baha’i writings exalt the station of Christ:

… Baha’is say that the sovereignty of Christ was a heavenly, divine, everlasting sovereignty, not a Napoleonic sovereignty that vanisheth in a short time. For well nigh two thousand years this sovereignty of Christ hath been established, and until now it endureth, and to all eternity that Holy Being will be exalted upon an everlasting throne.

In the light of Baha’u’llah’s wisdom, I found a clarity that resonated with the very essence of love and truth I had long sought. Ultimately, I recognized Baha’u’llah as the messenger of God for our age, a realization that filled my spirit with peace. Free from the chains of pain and addiction, I turned my life over to a God of love and understanding, embracing the grace of transformation. It is not for me to judge, just as the Pharisees judged Jesus for his sacred claims.

As we journey through life, we are called, like Christ and the prophets before us, to manifest divine love. Who are we, the fragile creations of God, to believe we are exempt from trials? For the true servants of God, tests are divine fires, refining our souls and stripping away the veils of material attachment.

When Christ walked among us, he knew that proclaiming his message would stir the hearts of many – and invite hostility and persecution. Yet, with courage, he embraced his mission, knowing he would ultimately lay down his life for humanity’s sake. Baha’u’llah, too, faced relentless persecution, exile, torture, and imprisonment. Even today, Baha’u’llah’s followers endure torment, challenges, and misconceptions in various parts of the world. 

If only we would all seek truth as Peter did with Christ, the clouds of ignorance would part, revealing the light of understanding.

I’ve struggled with that myself – overcoming my own prejudices was no easy feat. Yet through prayer and contemplation, I began to glimpse the radiant truths in Baha’u’llah’s teachings. I had to humble myself, recognizing my own weaknesses, for only then could the Spirit of God move within me. In my past, I mirrored the Pharisees, lost in the rigidity of the law, blind to the living truth of God’s love. Today, I embrace the world as it is, seeking to love every soul I encounter. Mistakes are not the end; they are, perhaps, our greatest teachers. Each stumble can illuminate the path to growth, while repetition of the same error may signal a need for change.

The Baha’i teachings proclaim the progressive revelation of divine truth. Each of the holy messengers, Baha’u’llah taught, came from the same source and had the same essential purpose: “In every instance, they have voiced an utterance that would conform to the requirements of the occasion … all is true, beyond the shadow of a doubt.” John Chapter 13 in the Holy Bible echoes this truth, honoring Jesus with titles like Teacher and Lord: “You call Me Teacher and Lord, and you say well, for so I am.”

Baha’is revere Jesus, a messenger of divine will: “I will raise up for them a Prophet like you” (Deuteronomy 18:18), and as the Son of God: “Thou hast both seen him, and it is he that talketh with thee” (John 9:35-36). In the Baha’i writings, Baha’u’llah declares about Christ that Jesus, as a divine messenger, embodies the eternal truths of God’s love.

In Malachi 3:1, we find Jesus described as a messenger: “Behold, I send My messenger and he will prepare the way before Me.” Furthermore, he is depicted as an “apostle” and a “high priest” in Hebrews 3:1. Isaiah 42:1 reveals Christ’s servitude to God: “Behold! My Servant whom I uphold.”

These sacred texts weave a tapestry of identities for Jesus, reflecting the Baha’i understanding of God’s divine messengers. Baha’u’llah teaches that the diverse faiths of the world must not foster animosity, for they are all rays from the same divine light. He likens each of the divine messengers to skilled physicians sent by one Creator, adept at diagnosing humanity’s ills: “The All-Knowing Physician hath His finger on the pulse of mankind. He perceiveth the disease, and prescribeth, in His unerring wisdom, the remedy.”

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The teachings of Baha’u’llah and the essence of Christianity exist in harmonious dialogue, each illuminating the path toward our Creator. As Shoghi Effendi, the Guardian of the Baha’i Faith, reminded us:

For the Faith of Baha’u’llah … can never, and in no aspect of its teachings, be at variance, much less conflict, with the purpose animating, or the authority invested in, the Faith of Jesus Christ. 

I hope we can all, regardless of the names of our faiths or the holy messengers we follow, embrace this shared journey toward divine love and unity, illuminating the world with our collective light.

I am profoundly grateful to stand here today, celebrating the truth of Baha’u’llah’s teachings. Each of us carries a sacred purpose; God does not make mistakes. Our collective mission is to usher in an era of everlasting peace and prosperity — will you join this divine revolution?